Johnny Williams (25 December 1926 – 28 January 2007) was a British former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

in the 1940s and 1950s and was at one time both the British and Empire heavyweight champion.

Life and career

Born in

Barmouth Barmouth (formal ; colloquially ) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales; it lies on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merionethshire, the Welsh form of t ...

, Wales, Williams grew up in Rugby, England, his family having moved there when he was a toddler. He started to box from the age of 10. He turned professional in 1946 and was known for his scientific approach in the ring, with one of his greatest fights being a bout with Jack Gardner on 17 July 1950 in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. It was a Commonwealth title eliminator fight and he lost on points, and according to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

it was rated as one of the most grueling bouts ever staged in Britain and left both boxers requiring a night in hospital. Two years later on 11 March 1952, Williams had his finest hour, when in a rematch with Gardner, he won the 15 round fight, claiming both the British and Empire Heavyweight titles. However the following year he lost these titles to

Don Cockell Donald John Cockell (22 September 1928 – 18 July 1983) was an English boxer who competed from 1946 to 1956. One of the most well known boxers from the UK during the era, Cockell held the British and European light heavyweight titles, and ...

. Williams made an attempt at winning back the titles in 1955, but was defeated in a fifth-round knockout by Gardner. Williams retired in 1956 with 60 wins, 38 by knockout, 11 losses and 4 draws, and began a career as a farmer at Newton near Rugby. He died on 28 January 2007 survived by his wife and daughter.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 60 Wins (38 knockouts, 22 decisions), 11 Losses (6 knockouts, 5 decisions), 4 Draws''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , , align=left, Joe Bygraves , TKO , 6 , 1956-11-16 , align=left, Belle Vue Zoological Gardens,

Belle Vue, Manchester Belle Vue is an area of Manchester, England, sited east of the city centre; it is bordered by the Hope Valley line to the east and the Glossop line to the west. It is part of the electoral ward of Longsight. History In 1897, the machine tool ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Joe Erskine , PTS , 15 , 1956-08-27 , align=left,

Maindy Stadium Maindy Centre (, formerly known as Maindy Stadium, now also known as Maindy Pool and Cycle Track) is a velodrome and indoor swimming pool facility in the Maindy area of Cardiff, Wales. The velodrome was used in the 1958 British Empire and Common ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Tommy "Hurricane" Jackson , TKO , 4 , 1956-04-13 , align=left, Uline Arena,

Washington, District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Willi Hoepner , PTS , 10 , 1956-02-04 , align=left, Festhalle Frankfurt,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Kitione Lave , TKO , 1 , 1955-07-26 , align=left, Embassy Sportsdrome,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jack Gardner , KO , 5 , 1955-06-06 , align=left, Nottingham Ice Stadium, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lucien Touzard , TKO , 3 , 1955-04-18 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Hennie Quentemeijer , KO , 2 , 1955-03-05 , align=left,

Newtown, Powys Newtown () is a town in Powys, Wales. It lies on the River Severn in the community of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It was designated a New towns movement, new town in ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Roger Francis Coeuret , TKO , 4 , 1954-12-10 , align=left, Belle Vue Zoological Gardens,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Miracle" Jack Hobbs , TKO , 7 , 1954-09-14 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Hugo Salfeld , PTS , 10 , 1954-04-04 , align=left, Stadion Rote Erde,

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gerhard Hecht , KO , 2 , 1954-01-22 , align=left, Sportpalast, Schoeneberg,

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bernard Verdoolaeghe , PTS , 10 , 1953-11-10 , align=left, Empress Hall, Earl's Court,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Fred Powell , KO , 2 , 1953-10-05 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 15 , 1953-05-12 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ansell Adams , PTS , 10 , 1953-04-13 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Heinz Neuhaus , KO , 9 , 1953-02-15 , align=left, Westfalenhallen,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Werner Wiegand , KO , 5 , 1952-12-10 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, John Duncan Arthur , TKO , 7 , 1952-10-13 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Rouse , TKO , 7 , 1952-07-22 , align=left, Meadowbrook Bowl,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jack Gardner , PTS , 15 , 1952-03-11 , align=left, Empress Hall, Earl's Court,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Omelio Agramonte , PTS , 10 , 1951-12-04 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Heinz Neuhaus , PTS , 10 , 1951-10-14 , align=left, Stadion Rote Erde,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jo Weidin , TKO , 6 , 1951-06-05 , align=left,

White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, England, was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 FIFA W ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Aaron Wilson , PTS , 8 , 1951-03-27 , align=left, Empress Hall, Earl's Court,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Reg Andrews , KO , 2 , 1951-03-19 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Bill Weinberg , TKO , 6 , 1950-12-12 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Kaplan , TKO , 7 , 1950-11-14 , align=left, Earls Court Arena,

, align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Jack Gardner , PTS , 12 , 1950-07-17 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Pat Comiskey , TKO , 6 , 1950-06-06 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Vern Escoe , PTS , 10 , 1950-02-28 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Lloyd Barnett , PTS , 10 , 1950-02-20 , align=left, Embassy Sportsdrome,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Piet Wilde , KO , 4 , 1950-01-24 , align=left, Empress Hall, Earl's Court,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Stephane Olek , PTS , 8 , 1949-09-06 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Piet Wilde , PTS , 10 , 1949-08-17 , align=left, Coney Beach Pleasure Park,

Porthcawl Porthcawl () is a town and community in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales. It is located on the south coast, west of Cardiff and south-east of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the South ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paddy Slavin , TKO , 3 , 1949-06-20 , align=left, St Andrew's,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Nils Andersson , PTS , 8 , 1949-06-02 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ken Shaw , TKO , 8 , 1949-04-19 , align=left,

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Nick Wolmarans , TKO , 4 , 1949-01-29 , align=left,

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

, Johannesburg, Gauteng , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Wood , KO , 4 , 1948-12-16 , align=left,

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Fred Vorster , PTS , 8 , 1948-11-06 , align=left,

, Johannesburg, Gauteng , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jock Frederick Taylor , PTS , 6 , 1948-09-21 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Reg Spring , TKO , 6 , 1948-09-02 , align=left, Exeter Civic Hall, Exeter, Devon , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left,

, TKO , 2 , 1948-07-27 , align=left, Embassy Rink,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Gene "KO" Fowler , KO , 3 , 1948-06-22 , align=left, St James Park, Exeter, Devon , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left,

, PTS , 8 , 1948-05-18 , align=left, Highfield Road, Coventry, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bobby Ogg , PTS , 6 , 1948-04-20 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Sid Falconer , RTD , 3 , 1948-03-11 , align=left,

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in the Sandwell district, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire and then Worcestershire before bei ...

, Sandwell, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Phillips , TKO , 3 , 1948-02-17 , align=left, Harringay Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Allan Cooke , TKO , 1 , 1948-02-12 , align=left, Hull Arena, Hull,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Matt Locke , KO , 1 , 1948-01-26 , align=left, Coventry Drill Hall, Coventry, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Des Jones , PTS , 8 , 1948-01-15 , align=left, Rink Market,

, Sandwell, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Loss , , align=left, Reg Spring , PTS , 8 , 1947-12-02 , align=left, Co-op Hall,

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, its population was 78,117, making it the List of Warwickshire towns by population, secon ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Doug Richards , PTS , 8 , 1947-11-24 , align=left, Cheltenham Town Hall, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, George Barratt , TKO , 3 , 1947-11-10 , align=left, Coventry, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Carroll , KO , 5 , 1947-11-03 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Trevor Burt , KO , 2 , 1947-09-16 , align=left, Battery Drill Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jimmy Carroll , TKO , 5 , 1947-08-12 , align=left, Wembley Town Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Bernard O'Neill , TKO , 2 , 1947-07-07 , align=left, Wembley Town Hall,

, align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Johnny Houlston , PTS , 8 , 1947-06-16 , align=left, Corporation Bus Depot, Newport , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Paddy Roche , TKO , 7 , 1947-04-03 , align=left, Leamington, Warwickshire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jock Kerry , TKO , 5 , 1947-03-24 , align=left,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Wally With , PTS , 8 , 1947-03-19 , align=left, Caledonian Road Baths,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Art Owen , TKO , 6 , 1947-02-24 , align=left, Kettering, Northamptonshire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Ted Barter , KO , 3 , 1947-02-10 , align=left,

Oxford Town Hall Oxford Town Hall is a public building on the street called St Aldate's in central Oxford, England. It is both the seat of Oxford City Council and a venue for public meetings, entertainment and other events. It also includes the Museum of Oxfo ...

, Oxford, Oxfordshire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Tommy Bostock , TKO , 4 , 1946-12-09 , align=left, Assembly Rooms,

Market Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough District, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the United Kingdom census, 2021, 2021 census. It is the ad ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Burt , PTS , 8 , 1946-11-04 , align=left,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Draw , , align=left, Jim Greaves , PTS , 8 , 1946-10-21 , align=left, Granby Halls, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Jim Hollis , PTS , 6 , 1946-09-24 , align=left, Embassy Rink,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Harry O'Grady , KO , 4 , 1946-06-04 , align=left, Battery Drill Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Joe Williams , PTS , 8 , 1946-04-15 , align=left,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Seaman" Tom Smith , TKO , 5 , 1946-04-01 , align=left,

, West Midlands , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Michael Guerin , KO , 1 , 1946-02-26 , align=left, Co-op Hall,

, align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, "Seaman" Tom Smith , PTS , 6 , 1946-02-15 , align=left, Crossington Street Baths, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left, , - , Win , , align=left, Billy Rhodes , PTS , 6 , 1946-02-12 , align=left, Crossington Street Baths, Leicester, Leicestershire , align=left,

References

External links

*
Welcome To New Champion 1952
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of Williams at a victory celebration in 1952 {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Johnny 1926 births 2007 deaths Sportspeople from Gwynedd Welsh male boxers Heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Rugby, Warwickshire People from Barmouth

Life and career

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links